Clark Haaland

You wrote that the brain evolved to seek out the “edge of informational chaos” — a place where our predictive models begin to break down, and in those uncertain zones, we actually have much to learn.

Novelist Marilynne Robinson on how to handle good luck:

"I can only make sense of my unaccountable good fortune by assuming that it means I am under special obligation to make good use of it."

Source: The Paris Review Interviews: Volume IV

There’s a piece of advice I still struggle with, but that I’m more and more convinced lies at the heart of meaningful productivity, successful creative work, and a more vibrant life in general. That advice is: act fast. Move quickly. When you get a good idea, make it your default policy to put it into practice as soon as you reasonably can.

And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done, full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of it necessary, serious, and great things.

Ra... See more

1 Question For You

The common narrative is that kids learn faster than adults, but if you watch any toddler they spend a large portion of the day attempting things that are on the edge of their ability.

How much time have you spent on the edge of your ability today?

MEDIA

Faceless YouTube channels are the next big side hustle

The Trend: Faceless YouTube channels — those that deliver content without featuring the creator's face — are rapidly gaining traction among creators. Take HowToBasic, for example, which has amassed over 17 million subscribers, or Lofi Girl, which streams music to 14 million subscribers.... See more

Happiness Is Not Pleasure. I Kill Pleasure.

In a conversation with the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, the philosopher Simon Critchley began to define happiness as synonymous with pleasure. “I have to say,” Hoffman intervened, “you’re starting to define happiness in a way that pertains to pleasure. But I would definitely say that pleasure is not... See more

Richard Feynman on passion, curiosity, and living fully:

“ Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don’t... See more